2013 Summer Newsletter - Butler Springs Christian Camp

Summer Camp 2013 Individual Church Camper Totals
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Adena Road Church of Christ
3
Allensburg Church of Christ 23
Bainbridge Church of Christ 18
Beavercreek Christian Church
55
Bethany Church of Christ 14
Bethlehem Church of Christ 53
Blanchester Church of Christ 25
Bowersville Church of Christ
9
Bridge Street Church of Christ
2
Church of Christ of East Dayton
13
Community Christian Church
31
Countryside Church of Christ 31
Crossroads Christian Church
8
Crossview Christian Church 105
Danville Church of Christ
5
Eastside Christian Church
35
Enon Church of Christ
2
Fairview Church of Christ
7
First Chrisitan Church of Huber Heights 14
First Christian church of Franklin
2
First Christian Church of Springfield
74
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
First Church of Christ of Lynchburg
First Church of Christ Winchester
First Church of Christ of Xenia
Georgetown Church of Christ
Good News Gathering
Grace Chapel of Mason
Greenfield Church of Christ
Hillsboro Church of Christ
Jamestown Church of Christ
Lake Avenue Christian Church
Leesburg Church of Christ
Lifeway Christian Church
Macon Church of Christ
Martinsville Church of Christ
Mayhill Church of Christ
Miamisburg Christian Church
Mowrystown Church of Christ
Mt. Olive Church of Christ
Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Mt. Washington Church of Christ
New Antioch Church of Christ
8
2
74
15
19
16
2
44
19
1
22
2
6
11
11
62
6
2
8
13
1
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
New Vienna Church of Christ
North Side Christian Church of Xenia
Other Churches
Peebles Church of Christ
Pricetown Church of Christ
Rainsboro Church of Christ
Ripley Church of Christ
Russellville Church of Christ
Sabina Church of Christ
Sardinia Church of Christ
Seaman Church of Christ
Smith Hill Christian Church
Southbrook Christian Church
Spring Hill Church of Christ
Springfield Church of Christ
Sugartree Ridge Church of Christ
Union Church of Christ
Waverly Church of Christ
West Side Church of Christ of Lebanon
West Union Church of Christ
Wilmington Church of Christ
Total
Top Ten Church Camper Attendance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Crossview Christian Church
Southbrook Christian Church
First Christian Church of Springfield
First Church of Christ of Xenia
Miamisburg Christian Church
Beavercreek Christian Church
Bethlehem Church of Christ
Hillsboro Church of Christ
Sardinia Church of Christ
Wilmington Church of Christ
3701 State Route 41
Hillsboro, OH 45133
Phone: 937-588-2205
Fax: 937-588-2205
105
102
74
74
62
55
53
44
41
41
16
3
328
35
32
7
14
18
9
41
4
1
102
13
19
4
17
2
7
4
41
1,590
Butler Springs
Christian Camp
Summer Highlights
Upcoming Events
What a summer! If you spent any time here at Butler Springs, whether volunteering, visiting, or dropping off or picking up you child, you probably realized in that period of time
what a great summer we had! Even with all the rain we had this summer, we were still,
without hindrance, able to accomplish our mission...and that is to begin, develop, and
strengthen relationships with our Lord, Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit!
God was absolutely amazing this year with all the stories, testimonies, and accounts of
how children and adults have changed their lives forever eternally! Here are some of the
numbers that we got to experience and be a part of this summer:
September 20thGolf Outing at Snow
Hill Country Club
Art Merkle Scholarship Fund
Campers
Volunteers
Total Camp Sessions
Baptisms
Mission Money Donated
1,590
525
51
114
$20,826.40**
**Includes BSCC’s matching gifts of $8,085.35
Scholarships Awarded
Scholarship Total
Butler Springs Christian Camp
& Retreat Center
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
POSTAGE PAID
HILLSBORO, OH
PERMIT NO. 12
80
$7,080.00
As you can see, the Blessings did not stop pouring on us (kind of like the rain!) this year
and it truly is a great joy just to know that together as a team—campers, kids, volunteers,
donors, prayer warriors, supporting churches, etc…—we accomplished wondrous and
marvelous works only by the Grace of God! Thank you to everyone who had a part in
making this summer a true success story!
Help Us Label the New Property
We are in need of a catchy, fitting name for the new property. We are trying not to call it
the “Happy Hollow” property. Instead, we want to find a name that will fit in according to
the surroundings and nature of Butler Springs “lingo”. Any suggestions are definitely welcome and encouraged. Who knows, there may even be a prize for the selected name?!?!
Maybe a Butler Springs shirt or partial scholarship towards a camp session? So be sure to
think and pray hard about a deserving name. Send any and all suggestions via email to
[email protected] .
Chris Osborne, Retreat Coordinator
[email protected]
Visit us online at:
www.butlersprings.com
2013 Summer Newsletter
September 28thLadies Day
“A Cord of 3 Strands”
October 18th“Young at Heart”
Leroy Blankenship
October 25-2779er’s Fall Retreat
“Mirrors”
(7th-8th Grade)
November 1-3One21 Retreat I
“Experience Change”
(9th-12th Grade)
November 8-10One21 Retreat II
“Experience Change”
(9th-12th Grade)
Keith Warner, Camp Director
[email protected]
Gus Denzik, Director of Special Projects
[email protected]
Summer 2013
November 22-24“Creative Souls Retreat” (Scrapbooking)
December 5 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for ALL
volunteers
New Session Update
For the 2013 Summer, BSCC
offered 4 new sessions—First
Chance Camp, Scuba Camp, Father/Son Safari, and Red River
Gorge Expedition. All were a huge
hit and was packed with all kinds
of activities and powerful teachings.
First Chance Camp had 41 moms
and dads and 43 boys and girls
come together and have that first
opportunity (or second) for kids to
spend a day and night at camp
with one of their parents.
Scuba Camp is exactly what it
sounds like. As far as we can tell,
this is the first Scuba Camp east of
the Mississippi River where you
can get a world wide recognized
certification at a Christian Camp!!!
We had 10 campers (8 male, 2
female = 7 kids, 3 adults) with 9
getting certified.
Father/Son Safari was a weekend
session where no females were
allowed! Fifteen dads (granddads)
and seventeen sons (grandsons)
spent a weekend at our very popular Safari Camp and had that opportunity to really deepen the
father/son relationship all while
praising God!
Red River Gorge Expedition was
an excursion camp that traveled to
central KY’s Red River Gorge
where 15 kids spent time hiking,
zip lining, caving, and much, much
more!
All of these sessions were so popular that we are planning the same
sessions for 2014 with the addition
of a Mother/Daughter
(grandmother/granddaughter)
Safari Weekend, Advanced Scuba
Camp (parents and adults welcome
too), an additional Junior High
Paintball Camp, and a couple additional undetermined excursion sessions (off campus) as well!!!
Full Circle: One Camper’s Journey
By: Danielle Penrod
I made my decision to become a Chris an during a week of camp June 1-7, 1986. The
dean was Tom Claibourne. I s ll remember that day when Steve Hill and I talked about
my decision to follow Christ. We sat under the big tree just the other side of the creek
from the dining hall. I was bap zed at Adena Road Church of Christ on June 8, 1986.
Camp life con nued….I went every opportunity I could. In 1990, I became full me
camp staff – Keith Warner’s first year as director. We worked hard, but played harder.
My years as staff at BSCC helped define who I am today. God chose to place so many
important people in my life that have remained friends throughout the years.
I couldn’t wait to have kids of my own to share camp with, so I brought cousins, nieces,
and nephews. We watched camp friends fall in love and get married. When I trust God
to guide my path, I accept the closed doors as well. Have faith that he has something
be er in store according to His Will. We had kids of our own that were able to experience camp.
Part of my story led
to Andrew Johnson
coming to BSCC. This
was God’s design; he
led Andrew to camp
to become a husband, father and
leader at the camp
and a local church
community in Ohio.
My son Trevor made
his decision to follow
Christ at Butler
Springs during Midler Week, June 26 to July 1, 2011. The dean was Steve Williamson.
Trevor was bap zed in a creek in Waverly, Ohio on July 2, 2011 by his father and pastor
-uncle Jeff Dunn. Camp became a place where my family and I could enjoy me together. My daughter McKenzie made her decision to follow Christ at Butler Springs during
Kid’s Café the week of July 29 to August 2, 2012. Tracey Reeves was the dean. McKenzie was bap zed on August 2, 2012 in the pool at Butler Springs Chris an Camp by Tony
Brackemyre. We try to serve God in ways we can…Proverbs 22:6, Start children off on
the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
This summer, I was the dean of Science Camp from July 28 – August 1. I have gone full
circle from camper, to volunteer, to staff, to mother of kids who decided to follow
Christ at camp, to camp dean. Who knows what God has in store next!
Summer camp is over, so what’s going on now? Glad you asked! You would not believe the amount of work that has to be done to finish summer camp
and enter into our Retreat Season. We have finally se led into a rou ne a er prepping for retreat season and now we are gradually ge ng things on our
master list accomplished. With the help of your financial gi s towards the Capital Campaign Drive, we have 300 feet of new asphalt behind the offices as
well as a couple of patched areas near the entrance. If you visited this summer, you experienced the desperate need for this. We have had a bunch of
trees cut that are threatening our facili es and as you can see, it is a much different view! In the very near future, we are in the process of ge ng bids to
have the original asphalt covered with a “chip and seal” as this is tremendously cheaper than resurfacing the 1,800 feet of exis ng asphalt. Engineers
have drew up plans for a toilet/shower house on the new property and we are now wai ng on the lengthy state approval process. These are some of the
major cket items but we have also star ng/accomplished of a lot of minor cket items—pain ng/staining; landscaping; endless repairs, cleaning, cooking; 2014 planning; church visits; etc… Thank you once again for your support via prayers, encouraging words, volunteering, financial gi s, and promo ng
this wonderful ministry. Without God calling you to be a vital part of this ministry, it would not be as successful as it is!!!
Homer Holsted’s Experience at Butler Springs
Butler Springs has
a special meaning
to my family and
me. Going back to
when my Grandmother (Inez
McCleese) was a
cook, my mom
a ending there as a
child, then me hanging out before I was old enough to a end
with (Cur s Kelley). I then a ended for twelve years (minus
the year camp closed due to the water). Now I have either
been on staff or served as dean for thirteen years. I have
learned many life impac ng lessons, been involved in life
changing ac vi es. At Butler Springs I was bap zed in the
pool almost 30 years ago, answered the call to ministry 26
years ago and then met my wife Erin, who a ended camp for
many years, 21 years ago. I have also been serving on the
Board of Directors for almost 10 years and it’s been a tremendous Blessing thus far!
However the story does
not stop there. This past
summer two of my daughters had the opportunity to
a end camp, one for the
first me, the older one for
her first full week. Four
genera ons going to Butler
Springs.
Then something even more amazing happened this past
summer, I had the honor and privilege to bap ze my oldest
daughter, Claire, in the same pool that I was bap zed in 30
years ago. That almost overwhelmed me and s ll gets me
choked up today. God has blessed Butler Springs and thousands of people (including me). Thank you to the people who
had the vision and guidance from God to start a summer
camp, and a con nued thanks to those that serve today to
make Butler Springs a place that con nues to change lives.
Homer Holsted (A Life Camper)